Machine for finishing the heels of boots and shoes



UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE." Y

`JfosEPri L. JOYCE, oE NEW HAVEN, ooNNEc'rfioUr.

MAOHINEFOR FiNlsHING THE HEELS 'O'F BOOTS AND si-iOEs.

Specification forming p'art of Letters Patent No. 41,5412, dated February 9, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. JOYCE, of New Haven, in the county of' New Haven and `State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Machine for Finishing Heels of Boots and Shoes, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of' the saine, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure l, a side view 5 Fig. 2, a plan or top view; Fig. 3, a sectional view, and in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 detached parts.

Similar letters and characters indicate like parts in the several figures.

My invention is designed for finishing the edge of' the heels of boots and shoes. When this work has been done by hand different workmen in the same nianufactory form the heels after their own peculiar taste, and a lack of uniformity exists in this part of the work on boots and shoes, even from the same pair of' hands. The object of my invention, therefore, is to form and nish the heels of boots and shoes with a greater degree of uniformity than has heretofore been done.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my machine, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is a supporting-frame, and rests upon a table, B, and supports in bearings G (3 ashaft or arbor, D, which is made to revolve rapidly through power applied to the pulley E.

F is a cutter-head, (see Fig. 3,) constructed with a stem or spindle to fit into a hole in the end of the shaft D, and is pressed into the said hole with sufficient force to be held firmly and be made to revolvemwith the arbor. In the said cutter-head I set two or more cutters, F', ground to the form to give the proper curve to the edge of the heel.

G represents a boot or shoe. It is held in a yoke, H, in the following manner: I first X to the heel of the boot or shoe to be finished a heel-plate, I. (See Fig. 3; a plan of said plate I show in Fig. 5.) In one arm of the yoke I x a spindle, c, its inner end constructed with a square head to fit a slot, c, (see Fig. 5,) in the heel-plate, and also a pin or point, u, which enters the heel of the boot or shoe. In the other arm of the yoke I place a screw, k, when the heel-plate is set onto the head of the spindle, as see Fig. 3. I turn the screw 7c in onto the last, which forms a pivot to turn the boot or shoe upon. The said yoke is hung in a ball or universal joint, L, so that the boot or shoe may be moved anywhere about the center of said joint in order to be properly presented to the cutter to be formed. I fix to the spindle a a pattern or former, d, a plan of which I show in Fig. 4. This former rests and revolves against a guide, f, to hold the heel always at a proper distance from the cutter. This said guide I X to the frame of the machine so that it may be raised or lowered, as it is required to make a smaller or larger heel, the former always remaining the saine. Ialso supply a guide, i, at the rand7 of the heel of the forni, see Fig. 3,) so as to rest upon the upper and against the rand. I make the said guide z' so as to revolve upon a pivot, IL, independent of the cutter-head, the said pivot supported in an adjustable hanger, N, secured to a part of the frame A, and may be raised or lowered as it is required to make a thicker or thinner rand to the heel. Therefore, when the boot or shoe has been secured in the 'yoke as described, thefornier d resting in the guide j', and the revolving guide z' at the rand, I hold Ithe boot or shoe up firmly to the said guides by a weight, or otherwise, upon the end O of the yoke, the cutters revolving rapidly. I turn the boot or shoe over by hand until itis dressed or formed by coming iii contact with the cutters. I then take it from the yoke, introduce a second, as before, for the saine operation.

To finish or polish, I place a smoothing-head, I), (see Fig. 6,) into the saine shaft or arbor, in place of the cutter-head, or I use a second machine, like this described, with a polisher in place of a cutter-head, and go through the saine operation as described for dressing or forming. The surface of the polisher I make of mineral or other suitable material which, revolving rapidly, smooths and finishes the surface ofthe heel in the most perfect manner.

Having thus fully set forth and described my machine for forming and finishing heels of boots and shoes, what 1 claim as of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the cutter-head F and 6. Thecombination of the polisher P, former d, adjustable guide f, for the purpose and in the manner described.

7. The combination of the yoke H, polisher l), and adjustable revolving guide z', in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination of the yoke H, polisher P, former d, and adjustable guide f, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein specified.

JOS. L. JOYCE. Witnesses:

E. H. EATON, JOHN E. EARLE. 

